MASCULINITY, MISOGYNY, AND THE RHETORIC OF ONLINE MUSICAL DISCOURSE By Kelli D. Smith A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Musicology—Master of Arts 2018 ABSTRACT MASCULINITY, MISOGYNY, AND THE RHETORIC OF ONLINE MUSICAL DISCOURSE By Kelli D. Smith Online discussion sites, such as social media platforms and discussion forums, have long served as spaces in which fans of specific musical genres can negotiate their identities and construct the borders to their musical community. Due to less involvement from corporate popular music labels, the most tight-knit online communities form around non-mainstream musical topics when compared to their mainstream counterparts. Despite the common assumption that the anonymity of the internet allows for equitable dialogue, the marginalization and silencing of women and minorities is prevalent throughout non-mainstream music communities. In this thesis, I integrate methodologies from media studies, musicology, ethnomusicology, and sociology to examine the ways in which user-generated content serves to police the boundaries of online music communities. Each chapter delves into the unique ways fans in different communities use language to preserve the white, male hegemony. Chapter 1 delves into an examination of the 1970s punk fanzine, Slash to introduce the ways in which music fans leverage performances of masculinity to demonstrate authenticity and power in punk communities. Chapter 2 continues this line of inquiry, but I shift my focus to performances intellectualism in the contemporary online independent (indie) music community. In Chapter 3, I move away from genre-based dialogues and examine self-fashioning, essentialism, and taste in high-end audio blogs and forums. Together, these three chapters demonstrate that online dialogues do significant cultural work in the silencing of women and minorities both within and outside of the digital realm. Copyright by KELLI D. SMITH 2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project has been a long and emotional journey and could not have come to fruition without the help of many people. First, I must thank Dr. Lyn Goeringer for introducing me to the world of New Media Studies, as well as challenging me to express my ideas with clarity and purpose. I also thank Dr. Marcie Ray for constantly supplementing my reading list with incredible feminist literature and always reading any draft that I sent her way. I am also in debt to Dr. Ken Prouty, whose relentless enthusiasm for my project served as reassurance in my moments of self-doubt. Finally, I cannot properly thank Dr. Kevin Bartig in this small space for his constant support, patience, and effort to help me create the best possible representation of my research. Throughout this project he has taught me not only how to be a better writer and researcher, but also a better teacher, scholar, and student. I am eternally grateful for his willingness to hash out my arguments while they were still in their nascent stages and his patience while I rambled to him about internet memes every Tuesday morning. I owe an immense thanks to my parents, Jim and Susie, for teaching me that technology is not to be feared or worshiped, but rather treated like a tool that can be used for good or bad. Their hard work, intelligence, and unconditional love are the reasons I am the woman I am today. Many friends have made my years at Michigan State University some of the best of my life, including Jonathan Gómez, Tia Harvey, Sarah Palermo, and Edward Stumpp. I will certainly miss the laughs, the tears, and the late-night, panic-ridden group chats. Lastly, I would not have made it through this project without my best friend and partner, Craig Biwer. Thank you for letting me bounce ideas off you, staying up late with me while I typed out these pages, and always giving me the last bite of ice cream. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES...................................................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1 “EQUALLY SUBJECTABLE TO ABUSE”: FANZINES AND THE FEIGNED GENDER EQUITY OF THE EARLY LOS ANGELES PUNK SCENE...................................... 7 Introduction: A Familiar Rhetoric....................................................................................... 7 Punk as Reaction................................................................................................................. 8 Fanzines and Negotiating Identity..................................................................................... 11 Fanzines and Negotiating Gender...................................................................................... 17 CHAPTER 2 WHITE MASCULNITY AND USER-GENERATED CONTENT IN THE ONLINE INDIE MUSIC COMMUNITY..................................................................................................... 27 Introduction: The Digital Sounding Board........................................................................ 27 User-Generated Content and DIY Fan Spaces................................................................... 29 Case Study 1 – “The Unbearable Whiteness of Indie......................................................... 30 Case Study 2 – “The New Decemberists Album: It Contains 100% Less Raping”........... 39 Broadening the Conversation Around Masculinity............................................................ 43 CHAPTER 3 “MY HUMBLE SETUP”: HI-FI, MASCULINITY, AND EXCLUSION IN THE DIGITAL REALM ...................................................................................................................... 45 Introduction: High Fidelity Then and Now...................................................................... 45 Post-war America and Hi-Fi Listening............................................................................. 48 Reddit, Photosharing, and the Domestic Space................................................................ 52 Perceptions of Taste.......................................................................................................... 60 The Gender/Tech Divide................................................................................................... 64 #WAFGate in the Blogosphere......................................................................................... 66 EPILOGUE................................................................................................................................... 71 BIBLIOGRAPHY......................................................................................................................... 74 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1: “This is a Chord” ......................................................................................................... 11 Figure 1.2: “Interview with the GoGo’s” ...................................................................................... 23 Figure 1.3: “Interview with the GoGo’s” ..................................................................................... 24 Figure 1.4: “Interview with the Dead Kennedys” ........................................................................ 24 Figure 1.5: “Interview with Stiff Little Fingers” ........................................................................... 25 Figure 2.1: Comment from Wendus's site ..................................................................................... 36 Figure 2.2: Comment from Wendus's site ..................................................................................... 36 Figure 2.3: Post from Reddit sub-forum, r/indieheads .................................................................. 37 Figure 2.4: Post from Reddit sub-forum, r/indieheads .................................................................. 37 Figure 2.5: Twitter response to Sahim's post ................................................................................ 38 Figure 2.6: Twitter response to Sahim's post ................................................................................ 38 Figure 2.7: Post from Wendus's site that is representative of accusations of reverse racism in Sahim's post .................................................................................................................................. 38 Figure 2.8: Post in a Consequence of Sound forum dedicated to Anderson's article .................... 40 Figure 2.9: Post in a Consequence of Sound forum dedicated to Anderson's article .................... 41 vi INTRODUCTION Lauren Davidson, a journalist for The Telegraph, quipped in 2015 that “everyone knows you should never read the comments.” 1 Davidson was referring to the popular belief that the comments sections of online content, such as news articles and blogs, contain some of the most offensive and incendiary language in the public sphere. As such, reading posts by anonymous users can be frustrating, given the apparent lack of civility of those sharing their thoughts. The misbehavior of those on the internet is largely due to the inherent anonymity available in online public spaces that allows internet users to construct and perform identities independent of their public identity. Some use this virtual veil as an excuse to say and do things that would otherwise be unacceptable in person-to-person interactions. 2 Contrary to the common claim that online communities provide an open space for equitable